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September 3, 2021

5 Overused Horror Movie Clichés To Avoid In Your Writing

5 Overused Horror Movie Clichés To Avoid In Your Writing

With a few notable exceptions such as the brilliance of Parasite and Get Out, horror movies have the tendency to heavily rely on recycled tropes to scare audiences. It makes sense to follow a proven formula that works when writing a genre that is as difficult to write and to get right as horror. However, it is possible to craft a terrifying story without resorting to overused clichés that viewers can see coming.

1. SPLITTING UP

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Articles

September 3, 2021

by Stephanie Ellis

Indie Bookshelf Releases 09/03/21

Click on the book covers for more information. Remember to scroll down to the bottom of the page – there’s all sorts lurking in the deep.

Got a book to launch, an event to promote or seeking extra work/support as a result of being hit economically by Covid or life in general?

Get in touch and we’ll promote you here. The post is prepared each Thursday for publication on Friday. Contact us via Horror Tree’s contact address or connect via Twitter or Facebook.

Services

Editing: Michael David Wilson, This Is Horror Founder and Editor In Chief, podcaster, and writer (The Girl in the Video) is currently offering his freelance editing services. “Michael David Wilson invented the fine-toothed comb. His attention to detail is second to none, and he has a wonderful understanding of structure. This is a guy who knows how good writing works.”—Ray Cluley, author of WATER FOR DROWNING Michael has over ten years of editing experience and has edited books by Josh Malerman, Pat Cadigan, Stephen Graham Jones, David Moody, and many others. He’s worked with various publishing houses and small presses including Rebellion Publishing and Broken River Books. Prices start from £0.01/word. For further information go here: michaeldavidwilson.co.uk/editing/. Contact Michael: [email protected]

Editing, critiquing, artwork – Eugene Johnson is a man of many talents, an award-winning editor, filmmaker and artist. He will be will be selling his art, book covers, book art, logo designs, making prints, offering short story critiques/edits, special book projects like a coloring book he’s creating with another author and more for a small fee. Initially to fund desperately needed repairs on his car, once that is complete he hopes to turn his focus towards helping others that need support. Join him in his endeavours in getting this help to those who need it. Contact him via https://plaiddragonpublishing.com/ and he can also be found on https://www.facebook.com/eugene.johnson.14855. If you’d like to help him get his car fixed that bit quicker, please drop in on his Fundraiser set up by friends. (I think another link will be set up in the near future regarding his services and I’ll update it here when that happens.)

Editing – Elle Turpitt, elleturpittediting.com, is facing redundancy. Help her by considering her as an editor. She is available for all editing work – short story, novella, novel, or chapter extracts. She also has a Ko-Fi (ko-fi.com/elleturpitt), or if you’d rather send a little gift to help her smile at a stressful time, she has a wishlist set up for this month (amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls). All support is appreciated.

Book Covers! – Max Stark, known for his prints and photography work here, is now also available for book and magazine cover commissions. A sample is shown right. Get in touch with him on twitter @Max_Stark8.

Artwork! Cassie Daley – literally one of the most colourful characters around needs more support. She has an etsy shop with an amazing range of products including colouring books, stickers, prints and more at shopletsgetgalactic.com. Please note – Cassie has recently gone public with some health problems which means she still needs support from the community but also understanding and patience as she adjusts to her new regime (https://www.patreon.com/posts/52841984). Please continue to support however you can.

Writing and Editing Services from Ben Long. Go to Ben for ‘Killer Copy, Creative Content, and Eye-opening Edits’! Ben is ‘a passionate and engaging freelancer with 2+ years of experience in a variety of writing and editing endeavors. He is also a regular contributor to several online brands in the horror niche.’ You can find out more about him here https://readingvicariously.net/services/.

Events

Please send us details of any online panels, conventions, festivals and workshops and we’ll list them here.

Buzz Book Expo 2021 4th – 5th Sept. Showcases horror novels and novellas due for publication Sept 2021 to Dec 2022. Organised by Mary Sangiovanni, Somer Canon, Matt Wildasin and Katie Southard. Click the image for more info.

Charity Anthologies

Latest Book Launches

Horror Tree Sponsor* and Patreon Releases!

*All Horror Tree sponsors are able to claim a spot at the top of our listing during the donation of their sponsorship. Please use our contact form for more advertising pricing.

Contact form link: https://horrortree.co1m/contact/

They Slipped Through the Net

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Kickstarters!

IN SOMNIO: A Collection of Modern Gothic Horror Fiction. Twenty-five macabre voices from Horror fiction & illustration jolt the corpse back to life & drag Gothic fiction back into the daylight! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/maddoctorscomic/in-somnio

Duane Pecise ‘Greetings. We are producing a book of poems and short stories early next year, and this is where to get them, and how you can help pay the artists and writers involved in the project.
Donations are book orders. Plan accordingly. The books will be shipped via Amazon and will cost 16.99 each. The ebooks will be priced at 5.99 and the set will cost 20.00. Shipping within the US only, except for ebooks. I’m sorry but shipping costs are prohibitive. The book will have international availability once it is published.’ Click on image for more information.

New England filmmaker Joseph McGee seeking help to fund feature film. Please help us reach our goal.

Happy reading.

Steph

on behalf of Stuart and the Horror Tree Team

Reviews

September 2, 2021

by Melody E McIntyre

Epeolatry Book Review: The Horror Collection: Ruby Edition, ed. Kevin J. Kennedy

Disclosure:

Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.

Title: The Horror Collection: Ruby Edition
Author: Various, ed. Kevin J. Kennedy
Genre: Horror
Publisher: KJK Publishing
Release Date: 25th July, 2021

Synopsis: The Horror Collection: Ruby Edition from KJK Publishing celebrates the 10th book of the series! Since its conception in 2018, The Horror Collection series has been a firm favourite amongst global horror readers.

With each edition, KJK Publishing has prided itself in bringing audiences new stories from a coalition of brilliant indie talent across the spectrum of horror literature. Putting these stories firmly in the hands of readers, these collections are perfect for those who enjoy shorter works of fiction, those seeking fresh talent in the horror genre and make great reads, as a break between devouring longer works.

Contributors: Tom Deady, Calvin Demmer, Lex H. Jones, Ronald Kelly, John Kennedy, Kevin J. Kennedy, Christopher Motz, Kyle M. Scott, Guy N. Smith, Steve Stred.

At only 139 pages, this collection of short stories isn’t long, but it still offers a good amount of variety in its subject matter. The horrors include apocalypses, forest creatures, ghosts, and serial killers. The volume even ends in a dark poem and excerpt from a novella, Halloween Land by Kevin J. Kennedy.

My two favourite stories were:

Tanglewood by Ronald Kelly – A man takes a short cut home from work one day and is temporarily stranded by a flat tire. While he fixes his car, he is confronted by ghostly figures from his past. I loved the dark, foreboding atmosphere present in this story and although I had a sense of where it might be heading, I still enjoyed the ride.

Where the Holly Ceases to Grow by Lex. H. Jones – A young boy, Jacob, strolls through the woods around Christmas time and makes an unusual friend. What drew me into this story was the mysterious nature of Jacob’s friend and the tantalizing hints at a larger world.

As with any collection, I found there were some stories that I enjoyed less than others. However, I think this was more due to personal taste than any lack of talent on the part of the authors. The stories were intriguing, but a lot of them didn’t scare me like I wanted.

I give this collection out of 5 ravens

Available from Amazon.

Flat Amount / Magazine / Ongoing Submissions

September 1, 2021

by Stuart Conover

Ongoing Submissions: Intrinsick

Payment: $10
Theme: Weird speculative fiction

Crazy in a crazy world is as good as sane.

Fiction and Creative Nonfiction, 2000 words or less.
Make it funny and unusual and make sure it tells a story.

Submissions
Rather than pay Submittable, we will pay our authors.
Submissions should be emailed to submissions (a) intrinsick.com.
Attached as a .doc or .pdf. Follow all posted Guidelines.
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Articles / Guest Post

September 1, 2021

by Horror Tree

6 Unique Traits To Be A Good Horror Writer

6 UNIQUE TRAITS TO BE A GOOD HORROR WRITER

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, horror is ‘an intense feeling of fear, shock or disgust’. It flows from the word ‘horrere’ in Latin, which means to shudder or tremble. That’s the simple aim of a horror book – to make the reader shudder or tremble from a mixture of fear, shock, and disgust.

There have been many great horror books that defined the culture of their times, ranging from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to Stephen King’s It. All of these great horror stories have some common features that make them stand out from the competition:

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Articles / Interviews

August 31, 2021

by Angelique Fawns

An Unreal Publisher: Daniel Scott White from Longshot Press Part 2

An Unreal Publisher: Daniel Scott White from Longshot Press

Part Two

By Angelique Fawns

We continue our chat with the publisher of Longshot Press, Daniel Scott White.

White is the creator of Unfit and Unreal, two of the highest paying magazines in the speculative short fiction world, paying 25 cents per word.

His imprint also features Longshot Island, a pulp fiction magazine featuring psychological short stories, and Mythaxis Review, presenting articles and interviews looking at books, movies, music, and anything else in the world of art and artists. (I met White when I first asked him to grant me an interview a couple years ago. Instead, he hired me to write for Mythaxis Review.)

In part one we learned about White’s path to publishing and his adventures around the world. After helping out musicians like Bob Dylan and cycling around Alaska, we pick up his journey in Taiwan…

AF: Why did you move to Taiwan? How is the industry different over there?

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Anthology / Events / Semipro

August 30, 2021

by Stuart Conover

Taking Submissions: Mirror, Mirror

Deadline: October 15th, 2021
Payment: 6¢/word on acceptance.
Theme: A fairy tale involving a mirror

MIRROR, MIRROR:

Modern Myths

Executive Editors: Kevin J. Anderson and Allyson Longueira

When you’re alone with your reflection, are you prepared for what you see?

A prince in disguise? A monster revealed? An alien race?

Mirrors can be truth-tellers, wish-granters, face-concealers, illusion-makers, even monster-summoners. Maybe the mirror shows an evil twin, or an echo of the life that should have been. Or a portal to another world.

What happens when it shatters?
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Articles / Blog Tour / Guest Post

August 30, 2021

by Horror Tree

Book Review: August’s Eyes by Glenn Rolfe

TW/CW: Pedophilia, child abuse, Taphephobia, kidnapping, child murder, alcoholism, homophobia, reference to miscarriage, Transphobia, Arachnophobia, Suicide, and emotional abuse.

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.

Spears Corner, Maine may be one of the evilest places on Earth. The small town is the birthplace of the “Ghoul of Wisconsin”, a pedophilic kidnapper/serial killer who would give John Wayne Gacy a run for his money. It also has a bloody history of Native American genocide when white colonists came to take their land for settlement. Boasting twelve cemeteries, you could say that the town is well acquainted with death.
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The Horror Tree Recent Markets, Articles, Interviews, and Fiction!

5 Overused Horror Movie Clichés To Avoid In Your Writing

5 Overused Horror Movie Clichés To Avoid In Your Writing

1. SPLITTING UP

Indie Bookshelf Releases 09/03/21

Services

Events

Charity Anthologies

Latest Book Launches

Horror Tree Sponsor* and Patreon Releases!

They Slipped Through the Net

July

August

September

October

November

Kickstarters!

Epeolatry Book Review: The Horror Collection: Ruby Edition, ed. Kevin J. Kennedy

Disclosure:

Ongoing Submissions: Intrinsick

6 Unique Traits To Be A Good Horror Writer

An Unreal Publisher: Daniel Scott White from Longshot Press Part 2

Taking Submissions: Mirror, Mirror

Book Review: August’s Eyes by Glenn Rolfe

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